2007 Update: Cartwright says his focus has been on running The Woodward, which is entering it second year.

Claim to fame:Served as project manager for The Woodward, a new restaurant in Compuware Corp.'s headquarters on Woodward Avenue.

Next step: To gain experience as a restaurant operator at The Woodward and to open additional restaurants in Detroit.

After spending about four years working for a growing chain of cellular-phone stores and gaining management experience, William Cartwright decided he wanted to get involved in the food and restaurant business.

So, Cartwright moved from Detroit to Florida to help his cousin, Thomas Duncan, run a sandwich shop on the campus of Florida A&M University. Later, the restaurant, called Tommy D's, was moved to Tallahassee Regional Airport.

Then, Cartwright and Duncan decided to open a restaurant in downtown Detroit. That's when things got tough.

Some of the original investors who were going to participate backed out, leaving Cartwright and Duncan to look for new ones.

Cartwright said there were doubters who didn't believe the two could pull off the project and discouraged them from opening a restaurant in Detroit, where restaurants traditionally struggle to capture a strong dinner crowd during the week.

But Cartwright and Duncan found new investors and opened the casual-dining restaurant Feb. 2 - just days before the Super Bowl. The restaurant's other owners are former Detroit Lions Ron Rice and Charlie Batch.

"I survived and it was tough. It was three years of us trying to work in Detroit," Cartwright said. "It was a full-time job that I never got paid for."

While an architect and a contractor built The Woodward, it was Cartwright who created the initial designs, oversaw the selection of furniture and materials, and acted as project manager.

While Cartwright has never been employed by Southern Hospitality, which owns or operates five restaurants in Detroit, he said Taylor served as a mentor. Southern Hospitality also helped design the restaurant's menu and is assisting with the management of the restaurant.

After two months of business, Cartwright said The Woodward is on pace to do nearly $2 million in sales in its first year.

Why he lives in metro Detroit: "I was born and raised in Detroit, and I love this city. I've always had dreams of being part of the city's revitalization and, most importantly, I've wanted to create jobs and support the city that I love. ... I am thrilled to have the opportunity to be part of that same kind of entrepreneurial, innovative spirit on which Detroit was built."